Automotive News Canada - July 2016 - 22

* J U LY 2 0 1 6

Renault's return to Canada
is more of a spark than a jolt
The electric Twizy
isn't fast enough to
be legally driven on
Québec roads, but the
distribution company is
lobbying for change
BY BENOIT CHARRETTE
MONTRÉAL CORRESPONDENT

THE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN
Québec and Renault was an
enduring one from 1964, when
Renault and Peugeot jointly
built a plant in Boucherville,

PHOTO: AZRA

The Twizy 40 will be offered
in Quebec, but it has a top
speed of 40 km/h. Québec
requires that road-going
vehicles be capable of 50
km/h.

until it exited the Canada market in 1988.
Renault remains a household name in Québec and after
almost 30 years the French automaker is making a comeback,
though perhaps not the return
that many might expect.
Its electric two-seat Renault
Twizy is already commercialized in Europe in two different
models: the Twizy 40 (which can
reach a top speed of 40 km/h)
and the Twizy 80 (80 km/h). For
now, Renault is unable to sell
the 80 model in Canada because
the car does not comply with
certain federal laws.
The 40 is already available
in Vancouver and will likely
follow soon in Québec, intended for business, airport, police,
fire-station and national-parks
use. Because of its low speed,
the 40 is not allowed on public
roads in Québec. Cars have to be
capable of 50 km/h.
Renault distributor AZRA
is talking with the Minister
of Transport and Sustainable
Mobility Jacques Daoust.
"We will have to change the
law, (but) I am confident that
we will be able to do something
(to accommodate the 40)," said
Daoust at the vehicle's official
presentation in Montréal in
early June.

WHEN AND HOW MUCH
With a new or amended law
needed, Daoust did not know
when sales of the tiny vehicle would begin. Renault wants

to make 600 Twizy 40s available at first; all to be leased for
$99 per month, which includes
insurance and registration.
Lessees would be restricted to
areas where the speed limit is
40 km/h or less, which is why
both AZRA and Renault are hoping for a quick change of legislation.
"The Renault Group is
pleased to have selected a company as involved and dynamic
as AZRA for the distribution of
Twizy in Canada," said Renault
commercial director Guillaume
Gauthier.

NEW CHARGING STATIONS
In addition to distribution,
AZRA will contribute to expanding the network and accessibility of charging stations for all
electric-vehicle owners, installing 2,000 in urban centres over
the next 18 months. Each terminal can serve up to four users
for a total of 8,000 new charge
points. They will be installed at
no cost on private lands through
partnerships with building owners and offices, shopping centres
and other types of facilities.
"At AZRA, we are trend spotters," said president and CEO
Jean-François Carrière. "Our
(goal) is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
"We are proud to invest in
the electrification of transportation because it is the way forward to reduce our environmental footprint," said Carrière.

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Quebec bill forces brands
to sell minimum number
of electric vehicles
Automakers
association says that
car companies should
be allowed to come
up with their own
strategies to reduce
emissions
BY BENOIT CHARRETTE
MONTREAL CORRESPONDENT

POLITICIAN DAVID
Heurtel wants to see more
zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)
on the roads in Canada, and
he wants Quebec to lead
the nation in fostering their
growth.
As Quebec's Minister of
Sustainable Development,
Environment and the Fight
Against Climate Change,
Heurtel in June introduced a
bill in the province's National
Assembly that if enacted will
require automakers to sell or
lease a minimum number of
ZEVs in the province through a
tradable credit system.
The law would apply to all
automakers that lease or sell
more than 4,500 new vehicles a
year in Québec.
"We are hoping not only to
reduce our GHG (greenhouse
gas) emissions, improve air
quality and reduce our dependence on oil, but also move forward to a new economy stimulated by innovation," said
Heurtel.
The system would work
much like carbon credits.
Starting with 2018 models,
automakers would have to
meet a ZEV sales target, translated into credits, their value to
be determined by the government.
The target would be calculated by applying a percentage to the total number of
light-duty vehicles that each
manufacturer sells in Québec.
Car dealerships aren't directly
subject to the legislation, only
the automakers.
Automakers that meet the
required sales number will face
no penalty. If they sell more,
they'll be awarded credits that
can be sold to those automakers that do not meet the minimum target.
In the United States, a credit
is worth US $5,000. Automakers
such as General Motors with

the most popular electric car in
the country, the Volt (and the
upcoming Bolt compact), is in a
good position to do well.
Others, such as FCA or
Mazda that currently have no
electrics on the market yet,
would not.
However, governments
should allow each automaker to come up with its own
strategies to reduce emissions
and meet regulations based
on their own advanced technologies, said Mazda Canada
in a statement, when asked
by Automotive News Canada.
Mazda bas been an industry
leader in cutting vehicle emissions and improving fuel economy without resorting to electrification.
Mark A. Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle
Manufacturers' Association
(CVMA), agrees.
"Policies that force consumer technology purchase decisions, like a ZEV mandate,
impact the selection and availability of vehicles for sale in
Quebec, without first considering and addressing Quebecers'
automotive needs, driving
range, pocketbook, or access
to re-charging at work, to get
to work or wherever else they
need to travel," Nantais said.
The bill, to become law this
fall if ratified, will give the
automakers two years (2016-'17)
to adapt. The law would go into
full force in 2018.
'"Few places in the world
besides Quebec can benefit
from an abundance of clean
renewable energy paired
with an exceptional expertise in research and development, owing to internationally renowned researchers and a
solid industrial base in ground
transportation," added Heurtel.
Not to mention that the provincial Liberal government
made a promise that 100,000
electric vehicles would be on
the road by 2020.
"We are not at 10,000 (yet),
with only three-and-a-half
years to go."
The bill would encourage
automakers to do better with
their EV, plug-in and hybrid
offerings.
After all, he said, every year
Quebec consumers buy about
50 percent of all electric vehicles sold in Canada, "so there
is an interest."

"We're up 103 units from this same month last year..."
- Dennis Andrews, General Manager
Jim Pattison Lexus Toyota, Victoria, BC
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PHOTO: BENOIT CHARRETTE

SC 13120

Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment
and the Fight Against Climate Change, David Heurtel, discusses the government's plan to encourage electric vehicle
adoption by forcing automakers to sell them.

http://www.JoeVerde.com/Can

Automotive News Canada - July 2016

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